Photos courtesy of Fairfield Foundation
Newly renovated station complete with vintage gas pumps and Texaco banjo-style sign.
For archaeologists Thane Harpole and David Brown, the 1930s Texaco gas station created both a dilemma and a rare opportunity. Accustomed to excavating sites hundreds of years old, they now owned a structure that not only embodied a more contemporary era but was far removed from their familiar comfort zone of dirt trenches and pottery shards.
The old gas station had sat at the intersection of business Route 17 and Route 14 in Gloucester Courthouse for almost 80 years when they bought it in 2010. Known locally as the Edge Hill Texaco Service Station, the “Denver” style gas station had been built in 1931 by oil company owner J.C. Brown on 0.25 acres. By 1940, Brown also owned the adjacent parcel.
Colorized post card, circa 1931, of C.E. King, operator of Edge Hill Texaco.
The first half of the 20th century was the era of full service, when a driver would pull up to the pump and a gas station attendant would quickly appear. Full-time attendants often wore uniforms -- a shirt and jacket embroidered with their name and company logo, slacks and a billed cap. “Fill ‘er up” meant you would not only receive a full tank of gas but a check under the hood at fluid levels, hoses, and fan belt tension. By the time you drove away, your windshield had been cleaned and tire pressure topped off.
The Texaco brand was a potent icon on highways across America. With the advent of television, commercial spots advertising various brands of gasoline highlighted America’s growing love with the automobile. By the mid-fifties, full service stations were at their peak, as oil companies seemingly built one on every corner. Now they no longer provided just gasoline but sold a variety of automotive needs -- tires, motor oil, auto repair, cold drinks, ice, and restrooms. Service bays were added to accommodate repairs and “You can trust your car to the man who wears the star” was Texaco’s signature trademark.
Since the 1930s, the Edge Hill station had undergone several alterations but by 2010 had sat abandoned for many years; an eyesore amid the growing revitalization of Gloucester’s Main Street. Rumors circulated that the site would be razed to make room for a fast food or auto franchise, but Main Street Preservation Trust officials and concerned citizens were determined to preserve this iconic relic of automotive Americana. They turned to the Fairfield Foundation for help.
Aerial drone photo of the Edge Hill station intersection.
“We were approached by concerned citizens on Main Street to help find someone who would take on the challenge of saving the building and finding a constructive use for it in the community,” explains Fairfield Foundation Co-Director David Brown. “It was our experience with historic restorations and preservation that made them come to us, not necessarily intending for us to take on the project ourselves. But after six months of discussions with various governmental agencies and non-profits, it became quite clear that reaching out to organizations outside the community was just not going to work.
Edge Hill Texaco as it looked in 2010.
At the same time, as Thane and I discussed what the future of the Fairfield Foundation should be, it became apparent this would be an excellent investment at the right time for us. We mapped out a plan that could be completed in a few short years. That was the only thing we got wrong!”
The plan was to complete the project by 2014. The complicating factor was the Foundation had never done a capital campaign before. As an archaeological organization, most of what they had done was to raise money for staff; not brick and mortar-type projects. The station required enormous amounts of costly restorations. However once complete, the building would be in an ideal location for the Foundation’s headquarters. Gloucester Courthouse was centrally located to their many nearby ongoing excavations and preservation projects throughout the Middle Peninsula. It would also heighten the Foundation’s profile within the community, What could be more appropriate than to restore an old gas station that would be community-focused?
1912 R.A. Folkes surveying map reproduced in granite by Hogg Memorial Consultants.
As a local landmark, the desire was to retain its vintage charm although, as a restoration project, it was going to be expensive to rehab. For the past decade, the Main Street Preservation Trust and Main Street Association have worked diligently and with great success improving the looks of Main Street. This building was one of the few left that still required work. Having outgrown their previous facility, the idea of preserving something old to serve as Fairfield Foundation headquarters was infinitely appealing.
The restoration was a bit of an archaeological project itself in that the building was an artifact of the early 20th century, with additions and previous renovations that needed to function within the Foundation’s 21st century needs. One advantage the property afforded was JW’s Car Wash on the adjacent lot, which provided rental income to the Foundation.
Former owners Andrew James, Jr. and his wife Roberta opened up their station archives to the Foundation, providing a wealth of historic documentation. Following the sale, the James’s donated original 1930s-era gas pumps that were contemporary to the station, as well as the original exterior light poles. Lighting fixtures inside and out were repaired or faithfully reproduced. The original metal-framed windows were retained and repaired where necessary, now protected with energy efficient interior storm windows. The ladies and men’s rooms reflect the facilities of the time, including the original daisy glass window. For Fairfield Foundation staff, this was historical preservation at its very best.
“We were put in touch with the Texaco Retirees Association who then gave us access to the Texaco archives now owned by Chevron,” David explained. “The archivist at Chevron was able to send us the original blueprints and promotional material that featured the Denver-style station.”
Fairfield Foundation staff: (L to R) Thane Harpole, Anna Rhodes, David Brown, Victoria Gum, and Ashley McCuistion.
Donations from the Cook Foundation, other local foundations and individuals, and building suppliers and contractors, who offered significant discounts, enabled the Foundation to move forward. Several other foundations came forward with gifts, like the Fred Lee Brown Charitable Trust, whose family history is intrinsically tied to the station, as well as the Transportation Enhancement Grant managed by Gloucester County that provided a large part of the design and restoration funding. The most crucial element though were the dozens of volunteers who stepped forward to lend sweat equity on the building.
After eight long years of challenges and hard work, the building is complete. After peeling away layers of changes made over the years, the interior is being transformed into a space that suits the Foundation’s preservation and educational efforts, including offices, lab and exhibit space for artifacts from their many archaeological projects. Electricity, plumbing, and heating and air have been updated. New cedar shakes, matching the original, have replaced the asbestos shingles on the roof overhangs.
Percentage of the board at the station's grand opening: (L to R) Carl Fischer, Lori Jackson Black, Forrest Morgan, Bobbi Hatton, Thane Harpole (co-director), Janet Brown, David Brown (co-director), and Tom Karow.
Solar panels mounted on the roof generate energy and revenue from Dominion Energy’s buy-back program. In the rear of the building, a small room that once housed tires holds a small reference library. The station’s front office serves as a visitors center. The crowning touch is the iconic lighted Texaco sign that herald’s the station’s return to its historic past. The Fairfield Foundation’s Center for Archaeology, Preservation, and Education (C.A.P.E.) now has a home, surrounded by history and intent on preserving it. Total cost thus far: $1.3M.
Set into pavers on the station’s new terrace is a polished and rough granite map of Gloucester County as it appeared on a R.A. Folkes map from 1912. The map embodies the county when place names and landmarks were often named for their owners, descendants, or unique physical features. This surveyor’s map was faithfully reproduced from the original by Hogg Memorial Consultants and paid for by a generous donation from Lt. Col. Timothy A. Brown, USAF retired and his wife, Janet A. Brown. Several of the sites on the map are integral to the work of the Fairfield Foundation.
Aerial shot of Fairfield Plantation, one of C.A.P.E.'s many archaeological projects.
Founded in 2000 by David and Thane, two William and Mary graduates, the Fairfield Foundation began with a focus on archaeological research and public outreach at Fairfield Plantation in Gloucester, the former ancestral home of the prominent Burwell family, which housed six generations of Burwells from 1648 to 1787. Once a thriving colonial plantation, today it is a significant archaeological site, where excavations are focusing on understanding the plantation’s landscape and the footprint of the manor house and its various iterations. Evidence has so far revealed not only the main house but the presence of slave quarters, fence lines, and formal gardens.
Fairfield Foundation is now the preeminent archaeological research and preservation organization on the Middle Peninsula. Working with a number of local historical societies and other organizations, the foundation has ongoing projects at Ware Neck Store, the Brooks cemetery in Mathews, New Quarter Park in York County, Rosewell Plantation, Gloucester Courthouse, and other sites throughout the region.
Archaeologists and staff working on a dig.
In addition to archaeological preservation and documentation, the Foundation reaches out to both public and private schools to offer place-based learning experiences that integrate archaeology into the classroom, and demonstrate how subjects like math, science, history, and geography juxtapose to advance the work of archaeologists. Their ultimate goal is to reach out to every school on the Middle Peninsula and beyond.
Their outreach programs also offer hands-on activities for people of all ages who want to experience an archaeological dig, work with artifacts in the lab, or help preserve and restore historic structures. Each Tuesday they host public lab nights at C.A.P.E., sharing news and the latest findings. The Fairfield Foundation loves sharing stories, bringing history, buildings, landscapes, landmarks, and archaeological sites to life. To archaeologists, history creates a sense of belonging; a connection to those who came before us and left their marks. As time and development threaten the existence of these historic treasures, it becomes imperative that we ensure that the old and new can successfully co-exist.